Bane

3100

Warning: Minor swearing in this chapter. Most would think nothing of it, but a there would be some that would cry foul.

A/N: Some are confused about Harry/Firefox's rank. He is a master-class healer mage. He did take on two demons from the Void and won, which makes him Adept-class in strength. Because the magic on Velgarth is still unstable, he can't be recognized as an adept.

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Chapter 20

For the next two days, no one saw anything of the Boy Who Lived. He spent those days in his rooms, high up in the Ravenclaw tower going over everything he had learned from his one visit with the over-worked, unstable ward stone.

Finally, after the third evening, just before curfew, he walked around the outside of the castle, mapping the ley-lines that flowed into the stone and sighed. He noted that only a couple of ley-lines were trying to work the way they were supposed to, but several had been diverted to work the many layers and add-ons of the castle wards.

Firefox shook his head. Many of those add-ons were confusing, misdirecting or interfering with some of the others. It was mish-mash of styles and execution. With each new discovery, he was amazed that the castle was still even standing at all.

Inside the castle was awash with magic to the point that the air was super charged. In its own right, magic could be considered sentient. It knew what it wanted and how it wanted it. The magic was not happy, at the moment. It was over full and wanting release.

'No wonder many believed that the castle is alive with the amount of magic impregnating the walls,' he mused as he remembered his student days at Hogwarts.

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Firefox wandered the darkened halls; he still was working out where to start. He knew he had to deal with that dead-man switch first, before he could do anything. It had worn to the point it was a hair trigger waiting for one more mishap.

The tangle of ley-lines and wards under and around the castle was mind-boggling.

He really wished his father was here. Firesong grew up with this type of magic before the Mage Storms canceled all that knowledge.

Finally, after several sleepless nights and after conferring with Salazaar, Harry had a plan of attack. Now the problem was how could he get the headmaster and staff to understand just what the problem was and how dangerous it was. They needed to cancel classes for safety.

Walking into the Great Hall for dinner, the young mage knew he was going to have a fight on his hands. He knew he had to be very direct and hoped they believed him. He also knew that they would not believe him, but he still had to try.

The Shin'a'in had a curse for this situation, but then they had a saying for everything. "May your life be interesting," indeed.

Well here goes. . .

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Albus watched as the boy he thought of as a grandson walked tiredly into the Great Hall. He didn't know what to make of this new Harry Potter. Gone was the trusting, naïve boy who followed his direction without question. It saddened him that this young man was no longer looked anything like his parents.

Beside the older wizard sat his Potions Master, Severus Snape. The dour wizard was muttering under his breath about how arrogant Potter was being. It galled him that the arrogant brat seemed to treat the castle as his own fief-dom.

Both watched the teen walked tiredly to the head-table. His snow-white hair reflected the candle light, almost giving him an ethereal glow. Both were still puzzled about the boy's new appearance. Although it made one of them happy that the boy no longer looked like his cursed father, it also pained him that the teen now looked more like his mother. It made both wonder, yet again, what in Merlin's name happened?

"Harry, my boy," Albus asked with a grandfatherly concern on his face. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you all week. You missed several important classes."

"I've been exploring the magic within the castle, and frankly, sir, what I discovered was frightening. And. . ." Harry, in his Firefox persona started to say, only to be interrupted by the Potions Master.

"Enough of your dramatics, Potter! Just like your father, always having to be the center of attention."

Firefox closed his eyes and sighed. Counting under his breath, he waited to see if anyone would come to his defense. Silence stretched.

He really didn't want this. The young mage grounded himself and pulled on the magic within the Great Hall, voiding the magic boiling under his feet. A wild wind flared the hundreds of floating candles causing their flames to shot high into the ceiling.

"ENOUGH!" Firefox snapped, "I didn't come here to listen to an immature, bitter man harping his vitriol onto the only son of a dead man. By the Star-eyed! Grow the bloody hell up! You're a renown potions master, the youngest to receive such a title. You're also a teacher! By all that's holy! You will Be Silent!"

A quick weave of his hand, a thread of energy shot out and pushed the man back into his seat. Shocked gasps echoed in the Great Hall at the sight of wand-less magic.

"Instead, you come across as a whiny, bullying teenager! Something you yourself despise!" Firefox snarled, as another silvery thread wrapped around Snape, lifting him up out of his chair. "Holding a grudge for a man dead for sixteen years is not only childish, but makes you look like a fool! I've had all I will take from a small-minded man like you!"

As the young mage snarled out his rebuke, the overhead candles continued to flare higher into the ceiling as its image grew stormy.

"Now Harry my boy. . . " Albus chided, pulling out his wand.

"I said, ENOUGH! I'm trying to warn you of the danger, but if you can't behave like the adults, why should I bother? This castle is ready to explode. You need to evacuate Hogwarts. . . "

"I seriously doubt that, my boy," the headmaster came back. "After all, Hogwarts is the safest place to be. . ."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and frowned. "Albus, perhaps after some of the experiences Mr. Potter has had here, that is hardly a compelling argument... or even a truthful statement."

The Potions Master raised an eyebrow at her and sneered at Harry. "The things he experienced . . . If the insolent brat minded his business and kept out of places he never should have been, he wouldn't have been in such 'danger.' At this point, the arrogant fool is all about attracting attention to himself."

Rolling his eyes, Snape muttered, "Castle ready to explode. I've never heard a more ridiculous claim, but then again, he's a Potter, and has to create the wildest tales, just like his father."

Shaking his head, Firefox, having enough, cutting the threads of magic holding up Snape, dropping him like a stone back into his seat. "Your pettiness will doom everyone in this castle. I strongly suggest that you do no magic for the next two days and leave this castle. It may save your lives."

He turned and walked out of the silent hall.

The only professor taking in the warning was Professor Flitwick. He recognized the magic for what it was. He needed to warn his fellow goblins that a mage was walking among them again. He would tomorrow cancel all his classes and assign self-study for the moment.

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Hermione, having felt the surge of energy that Harry had emitted in the Great Hall, stood. Her already unruly hair standing on end as it gave random sparks. Many that had sat close to the Head Table had the same problem. She however, was able to move and ran out of the Great Hall. The others were still trying to figure out what just happened.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!"

She ran up to him, ignoring the tired slump of his shoulders. "HOW COULD YOU!"

Turning, he could not hold in the laughter at seeing on of his first and best friend standing there with her hands on her hips, scowling at him. Her bushy hair standing on end with sparks jumping from strand to strand.

"Look what you have done!" she snarled, pointing to her hair.

Ginny and the twins came running up behind her; their hair was also in disarray, but for the twins, they didn't seem to care. They were giggling and making hair jokes behind her.

Although her hair wasn't as bad as Hermione's, Ginny's hair was also standing on end.

Chuckling, Harry backed away with his hands up in front of his chest in surrender. "I'm sorry, Hermione. Come on, I know who can fix all of you. Trust me, she's the best." He looked past them to the students rushing out of the Great Hall. They needed to get away and fast, before he was stopped once more.

A few minutes later found the group in the Room of Requirements, arguing over allowing Winky to work on the girl's magic-fried hair. The twins were already taking care of theirs.

"Look Hermione, Winky will do a fine job. She works on my hair every morning."

"But it's slavery!"

"I know," he agreed, stopping her protests, "but that was how she was created. Look, allow her to do her job, and I'll explain how house elves really came into being and why it's dangerous to free them."

Hermione huffed as she plopped onto the wooden stool, giving Winky access to her hair. "It better be good."

Ginny and the twins exchanged a glance at each other as they made themselves comfortable.

As the house elf worked on taming that wild mane, Harry began his tale:

"You have to understand something: everyone, house elves were created to be servants to wizards. Yes, created to be servants. They are not natural creatures and definitely not human. The mage that created them wanted a living creature that would stroke his ego, keeping his secrets, and yet be the perfect servant, bond to him for all their life. This mage wasn't well-liked by many, and was in a war with another mage who was more of a peaceful man who just wanted to left alone to work on his experiments. Both were what was then known as Sorcerer Adept Mages. They even surpassed Merlin in magic, as they didn't need a wand and could use wild magic found in the earth."

He held up a hand to stop Hermione's prattle, giving her a stern look, as he continued:

"Who was the better mage? It really doesn't matter. Both mages created some of the most interesting and some of the most dangerous creatures that ever lived. Keiryn's race was one of the created races," Harry explained, not really wanting to get into the whole Mage War that shaped Velgarth over a millennium ago.

"This mage in creating the house-elves placed in their creation a fail-safe to keep them loyal and unable to be freed. I'm not sure where giving clothes comes in, but if the servant bond is broken, the house-elf will slowly and painfully die of magical starvation. They need to be bonded to live. There's a slight symbiotic relationship between wizard and house-elf, in that the house-elf can feed on the magic that the wizard and his family give off and the wizard would get a loyal servant that will take care of all his needs."

"But that's terrible! It's still slavery!" Hermione protested.

"And you get no argument from me!" Harry informed her sternly. "That just was how they were created. Tell me, Hermione, which would you prefer, knowing that you have to be a slave just to stay alive or be free knowing that you will die a slow painful death from starvation – knowing that you can see your salvation all around you, but you cannot touch it?"

"But Dobby. . . "

"Now that was an interesting twist, there," Harry chuckled. "That little guy was being. . .how did he put it? Right. He was being 'sneaky, sneaky.' I freed him from Malfoy Sr., who gave him my sock. Then Dobby turned around and gave me the same sock he freed himself, using that loop-hole to partly bond to me through that sock.

"So, he only got a trickle of magic because I didn't finish the bond, but he was still alive. Winky here, barely survived. The headmaster hired her for the kitchen, but she wasn't bonded to the castle like the others. That was why she was always drunk, to dull the pain. She was slowly dying and would have, if I hadn't bonded her to me."

Winky, who had been listening, nodded. "Dobby was sneaky, sneaky. There, hair done. Come to Winky iff'n youse wanted me to redo hair." She turned to Ginny. "Now youse. Come and sit."

Hermione hopped off the stool and stood in front a floor-length mirror. She was still wearing her school robes, but she looked different.

"Winky! That's. . . that's. . ." She was a loss for words. Her hair had been transformed from a bushy fried mess to a sleek, well-groomed look. Winky had parted her hair down the middle, pulling her bangs and side-locks into a French braid on the back of her head.

Tying the two braids together in the middle of the back of her head, Winky had continued to French braid her hair down the middle of her back.

Winky also had added red and gold ribbons to the braids as well as crystal clips.

Harry came to stand beside Hermione and gave an approving nod. "Nicely done, Winky. All she needs is for her hair to fade to white, and she could pass for a Tayledras."

Winky "eep"ed and nodded, pleased at the praise as she began on Ginny's hair.

Harry turned to face Hermione. "You cannot change their lot; to do so is to kill them. And it would be murder to free them. House-elves were created beings with the sole purpose to serve wizards. They are not human. They are, in fact, self-governing, but only to a point. They needed to be aware, so they can better serve their masters, but have no self-will other than what their 'masters' allow…

"No house-elf desires to be free. Dobby wanted to be free from his cruel master and did what any house-elf would do, he worked within his circumstances. Once he was freed, he partially bonded to me. He wanted to be my house-elf."

He gave her a stern glare as he stepped away. "So, stop trying to kill them Hermione. They don't want or need your help."

Hemione stood in front of the mirror as tears coursed down her cheeks. She was so sure she had been in the right. She opened her mouth to argue more, but that look that Harry was giving her . . .

The twins looked at each other and nodded. As soon as they could, they would find a house elf and bond with it, no matter what their parents might say. They probably could use the extra help in their future joke shop, anyways. One thing for certain, they would never use their jokes on whatever they get. It would be too cruel, besides the elf might prank them back.

Harry quietly slipped out of the magical room to head up to the tower for a nap. He had a busy night ahead and he needed to be clear headed for the deadly task ahead of him. At least, he finally convinced Hermione to stop trying to kill the elves.

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Hermione and Ginny caused quite a stir with their new look as they walked back into the Gryffindor common room. The girls all wanted to know who did their hair, thus diverting the conversation from what happened in the Great Hall.

That night, Hermione laid on her bed, quietly crying as her world was reshuffled in her mind. No book had ever told her the true nature of the house elves, only giving warnings about freeing them. Was she doing the right thing about trying to free them? Was she really trying to murder a race of beings that really were not even human?

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The moon was shining through the castle windows as Firefox slipped quietly through the halls. The moving portraits silently followed his journey with their eyes, but made no move to stop or report him. He knew that the Headmaster hadn't heeded his warning.

He managed, through Winky and Dobby, to slip warning notes to his friends to do no magic, and if possible, get out of the castle. He wasn't certain if they would listen, but it was all he could do.

They also informed the house elves what was going to happen. The castle was now too unsafe for anyone to stay in.

They reported that the Charms Professor heeded his warning and has suspended his classes. The headmaster couldn't make him change his mind.

The ghosts, and even Peeves, were not to be found. Any prefect patrol, including Filch and his demon cat, had long passed by. The many of the magical denizens knew something was up and wanted no part of it. Word had gone around that an Adept mage was now living in the castle and wasn't to be trifled with. They could only pray that he could fix the many problems within but not explode the castle walls. It was a shame that the wizards were not listening.

The paintings of the headmasters were silent in the blame game. They knew they had added to the problem. However, the current headmaster was totally unaware and/or was unconcerned about the problem. Tinkering with the castle wards was a time-honored tradition, he just was unaware it was not a safe one.

Firefox took a deep breath as he stepped into the ward-stone chamber with both Keiryn and Sal at his side. It would be a long night and not, as he feared, a very short one. Everyone living within and around the castle were depending on him.

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I could say sorry for the cliffie, but I won't. Don't worry the next chapter is already written and ready for editing.

There have been several theories in the HJP fandom on how the house-elves came to be. I just tweaked it to fit Valdemar canon. I can honestly see Ma'ar creating them. It fits his ego. You can find a decent amount of information on the Valdemar Wiki. It isn't complete and a bit sketchy, but it is decent.

And no, this isn't a Harry and Ginny pairing. I haven't decided if there will be one, yet. This is sixth year. Ginny was trying to get Harry to notice her, that is all.

I would also note that it has been exactly a year since Frau's passing and I still miss her. Also, I am still debating if I will do NaNoWrMo this year. I am schedule for eye surgery in the middle of November and not sure if I am up to writing.

Until next time. GF